Sharing Life’s Lessons
Before any of our four children were married, we told them we wanted a dozen grandkids. They gave us ten. One grandchild born every year from 2000 through 2007. They skipped a year and one more came along in 2009. We thought we were done at nine but then in 2015 one more. Not quite a dozen. Another fun fact is that they are girl, boy, girl, boy… all the way through number 10.
There is nothing that compares to cuddling a tiny baby and knowing you’re not the one that has to get up at night with them. Watching your children become parents is a joy. I’ve learned that parenting is something that is on the job training and by the time you’ve figured it out, they are grown and gone. I’ve also learned that your kids don’t want to hear your advice on parenting.
We experienced “empty nest” several times. Thankfully, we had a large enough home to welcome them back on a temporary basis when they were making transitions in their lives. We have two empty bedrooms. One now has a queen bed for guests and the other we refer to as the “grandkids’ dorm room”. At one time it had two sets of bunk beds, a crib, and a cradle. Now just the bunks.
I can’t think of anything I enjoy more than filling the house with kids and grandkids. We do have another small room with a twin bed, a futon in the sunroom and a queen size inflatable mattress.
But times do change. Kids grow up and so do grandkids. I used to keep a dresser full of pajamas and extra clothes because spontaneous sleepovers happened regularly. “Can I spend the night?” was a common phrase. (Sometimes I think parents planted the idea.) It was easy to have the right size because what one outgrew, the next fit into.
I used to be able to provide winter coats, hats, gloves and even boots for playing in the snow. Then somehow, their feet all got bigger than mine. They are all taller than me except the five-year-old, but the rate he’s growing it won’t be long before he passes me up!
Most of them are teenagers now. I was going to say 8 of them, then I remembered that two of them are twenty! Where did the time go? It really hit me a couple weeks ago when we asked if the youngest would like to come to Grandma and Grandpa’s for a few days during his spring break. We were used to having him for a week at a time until he started kindergarten this past fall. Not only did the school schedule put a damper on his visits, but now he said he didn’t want to miss any days of “camp” with his friends that week. WHAT?!? I had experienced teenagers choosing friends over grandparents, but he’s only five!
The good news is, that he and his daddy did come for a few days over Easter and at least he hasn’t outgrown the hugs Grandma needs. Actually, even the older grandkids are still willing to hug Grandma and say, “I love you”. The third oldest grandchild will graduate from high school this spring. Where does the time go?
I’ve heard that grandkids are the reward for not killing your kids when they’re teenagers. Grandkids are a blessing, and their parents are too.
OQC Update:
If you’re reading this before 6 p.m. on Thursday, you still have time to get to the “Celebrate & Support Our Troops Stop and Shop” fundraiser at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Plymouth. Check out the Operation Quiet Comfort Facebook page for more information.